The use of electronic calendar programs is becoming more common in the work place and at home. Electronic calendars allow a user to keep track of daily activities and upcoming events on their computer. One of the most common tasks performed with an electronic calendar is the scheduling and/or addition of a meeting/event to the calendar of the user. Typically, a schedule event panel is presented to the user for entering required data such as, for example, the title of the event, and the start/stop time of the event, where the event will be held, who is to attend, and etc.
With the increased usage of pointing devices such as the mouse, it is becoming more popular to be able to select with the mouse pointer rather than having to enter information with the keyboard. However, in order to enter start and stop times for an event, conventional methods in electronic calendars currently include the use of spin buttons, direct entry with a keyboard, or slider bars. Each of the current methods requires multiple steps for entering one piece of information. In addition, the format required by many programs requires the designations A.M. and P.M. which adds further steps to the process. Thus, there is a need for a quick and simple way to allow direct selection of a time for the start/stop time of an event with a mouse pointer as well as to signal the user as to what needs to be done for the selection.